


Bits & Bots

by glorious_clio



Category: The Thrilling Adventure Hour
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-21
Updated: 2014-04-21
Packaged: 2018-01-20 06:31:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 894
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1500245
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/glorious_clio/pseuds/glorious_clio
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Red and Pemily don't really care for staff training events.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Bits & Bots

It weren’t as if Pemily didn’t want to hear Sparks talk about his cross-listed filing systems, it was just that she’d had heard it at least three times in the course of deputying, and wouldn’t ya know it, this Marshaling Conference wasn’t as fun as she had wanted it to be.  It was basically all the marshals of the Mars-Earth Coalition talking shop, but none of the fun parts of marshalin’.  

Like shootin’ robit outlaws.  That was the fun part.  

And if Sparks got mad, well... She weren’t the only one playin’ hookey.  

“Hurry up, Pem’ly, before Nevada notices us missin’ from his secretary lecture,” The Red Plains Rider called teasingly.  

Pemily pulled herself into her saddle, gave her Marshal badge a quick shine with the cuff of her shirt and said, “Let’s ride.”

They set an easy pace, not caring who noticed their departure.  

“S’that somethin’ marshals have to say? Is it in yer rule book?”

“Dunno,” Pemily said.  “I never got round to readin’ it.”

“But you’re Sparks’ protégé, ain’t ya? Can’t imagine he’d let ya get away with that.”

“Nah, Miss Red Plains Rider, I’m usually too busy tryin’ to fix the moon up to be fit to live on, and readin’ it at night puts me ta’ sleep.”  

“You can just call me ‘Red,’ ya know.”

They were out of town now, the plains of Mars were stretched out in front of them.  Red let out a whoop and spurred her horse on; Pemily gave chase.  It was nice to be free of the Marshal Station, under the bright sky of Mars again.  

Pemily missed Mars sometimes.  It was a kind of home for her.  The first place she’d ever felt at ease in her own skin, anyway, and that meant something.

Eventually the horses tired, and Red led them to a stream that she knew.  They let their mounts rest.  

Pemily took off her boots and socks and dangled her feet in the running water.  

“Feel good, Little Bit? I mean, ah dangit.   _Pemily_.”   

Red’s voice had started all soft and not normal. Pemily turned to look as a flush of embarrassment crossed Red’s face.  

“Uh, yeah, feels nice.  Cool.” The young marshal said, deliberately ignoring that affectionate tone.

Red grunted and splashed a little water in her face and the awkwardness settled around them like Martian dust but it didn’t last long –

BOOM!

“Hell’s bells, what was that?” Pemily asked.  She quickly pulled on her socks and boots. (Wet feet and dry socks – the worst, but there was nothing for it.)

Red had already mounted her horse.  “Came from the hills. I reckon it’s Lavamen.” She pointed to the billowing smoke coming from the nearest mountain.  

“Well, we’re the nearest law around.” Pemily pulled herself into her saddle.

“Unofficially, in my case,” Red corrected.

“Not the time.  Now let’s ride!”

“S’gotta be in a handbook somewhere,” Red muttered.  

The pair rode toward the smoke, not wasting their breath on talking.  

It wasn’t Lavamen at all, but three robit outlaws, blastin’ dynamite and searching for gold, without proper permits.

“Stop what you’re doin’ there, robits,” Red said, riding up to them.  

“Or we’ll shoot just the same as lookin’ at ya,” Pemily threatened.  

“ON WHAT AUTHORITY,” the first robit spit out, a question without the upward inflection to denote it as such.

“I’m Pemily Stallwark – I’m the Marshal on Earth’s Moon!”

“YOU HAVE NO JURISDICTION HERE-” said the second robit. If monotone could be condescending, this one had mastered the art.

“Hey!” Pemily said, not moving her guns from where they were aimed at the core processors on two and three.  

“AND YOU. OTHER FEMALE HUMAN. WHO ARE YOU,” demanded the third.

“I’m The Red Plains Rider, and a quicker draw than you’ll ever be, robit.”  

“INCORRECT” the first one countered, “WE HAVE THE MOST SUPERIOR FIREPOWER IN THE KNOWN-”

Red and Pemily fired their weapons before the robits could finish bragging about how great they were.

“We weren’t interested in a geography lesson nohow,” Red said, holstering her guns.  She slid out of her saddle and landed lightly on the ground.  

Pemily whooped loudly, the adrenaline rushing through her bloodstream.  “Now that’s the best part of marshaling!” She holstered her guns. “Although I s’pose I should go do the paperwork. Ugh.”

“Why bother? I’ll never tell, and in just a minute, neither will these morons.”  She ripped out their hard drives and chucked them into the air, then sent a laserblast through each one before they hit the dirt.  

“You good at keepin’ things close to the vest?” Pemily asked, remembered the ‘Little Bit’ of a slip earlier.

“Reckon,” Red replied, her tone suggesting that Pemily better not continue her line of questioning.  

Pemily changed the topic.  “We should be getting’ back to the conference.  Sparks is probably sore we went off anyway.”

Red shrugged.  “I suppose you should.  I’m not in the mood for bein’ lectured at. Besides, we handled that situation faster than Nevada coulda.  That fellow likes to talk too much. You’re welcome to ride a little longer with me, Pem’ly, so long as you keep yer mouth shut.”

“Sure Red, whatever you want!”  Pemily took off back down to the plains, Red calling for her to wait up. But Pemily could also hear her laughing.  

There was probably another hour to Sparks’ lecture anyhow.  

 

**Author's Note:**

> My first attempt at the Sparks universe, inspired by my dread of an upcoming staff training day. Write what you know, I guess. 
> 
> Massive thanks to Annakie and Mansion for their very lovely help and suggestions. They rock!


End file.
